Pakistan (MNN) — Persecution continues in Pakistan despite pledges of compassion and concern.
“Pakistan [officials] pretend [to care about the persecuted Christian population] so they don’t lose funding from the World Bank or U.N. to care for these Christians,” Mission Cry’s Jason Woolford says.
On Sunday, a 35-year-old Protestant pastor survived gunshot wounds in the same village attacked by Muslim mobs two weeks ago. The pastor says a man shot him as he walked home from an evening prayer gathering.
“Not too long ago, a person in Sweden burnt the Koran. Muslims in countries, especially Pakistan, are using that to bring persecution [against Christians,]” Woolford says.
In 2020, Pakistani partners brought Bibles and food aid to Christian families under lockdown.
(Photo courtesy of Mission Cry)
On August 16, a Muslim extremist group shared photos of burnt pages from the Quran and accused a local Christian family of blasphemy. Mobs stormed the predominantly Christian neighborhood, leaving mass destruction and fear in their wake.
According to Mission Cry’s Pakistani partners, “22 churches have been burned, and 150 Christian families’ houses were set on fire,” Woolford says.
“The Muslims took 5,000 holy Bibles, put them in the street, and burnt them.”
Today, “people are living in a field because they choose not to stop serving God. Their families have been beaten, their churches burned down, and they’re asking for the Word [of God,]” Woolford says.
These believers lost everything, but only one possession matters to them. “Their eyes are filled with tears, and their hearts are broken because they can’t read their Bible,” Woolford says.
Click here to help 100 families through Mission Cry.
“Our goal is to feed these families at a minimum for the next 30 days and replace their [destroyed] Bible with a brand-new Bible,” Woolford says.
Header image is a stock photo courtesy of Kaufdex via Pixabay.
